Ogwumike leads Stanford women over Colorado

Stanford closed out its longest homestand of the season with another victory and a brief scare.

Chiney Ogwumike had 20 points and 12 rebounds to lead No. 6 Stanford to a 69-56 victory over No. 20 Colorado on Sunday.

Joslyn Tinkle added 16 points and Toni Kokenis chipped in 15 points for the host Cardinal (18-2, 7-1 Pac-12), which won its fourth consecutive game at home and seventh victory in eight games.

Stanford got a scare when Ogwumike collided with a Colorado player with 8:09 left. Both players fell to the ground and Ogwumike came up hobbling on her left leg. She remained in the game for a time after having her left ankle taped but had a slight limp in the limited action she saw in the final minutes.

"When Chiney went out of the game we had to step it up by communicating and talking and make sure we were on the same page," Tinkle said. "They (Colorado) were kind of making a run and we needed to just be poised."

Cardinal coach Tara VanDerveer said Ogwumike just tweaked her ankle a little bit and should be ok.

Stanford held an edge in shooting, converting 49 percent of its shots compared to 36 percent for Colorado (15-4, 4-4). The Cardinal had four players in double figures in scoring.

"We wanted to try and keep only two players in double figures, that is the key to beating Stanford and that did not happen," Colorado coach Linda Lappe said. "Every time you make a mistake they (Stanford) look to capitalize on it."

Colorado was led by Jamee Swan with 14 points and 6 rebounds. Chucky Jeffery added 13 points for the Buffaloes.

"Swan came in and hurt us," VanDerveer said. "That was an extremely physical game."

Stanford led at halftime 35-26 and came out strong to start the second half. The Cardinal went on a 16-2 run in a span of five minutes and increased the lead to 51-30 with 14:26 to play after Tinkle hit a mid-range jumper. Freshman Bonnie Samuelson made her first two Pac-12 3-pointers back-to-back for the Cardinal during the stretch.

Colorado didn't go away, however, scoring the next 12 points in a three-minute stretch to narrow the Stanford lead to 51-42 with 10:47 to play after Jeffery stole a Cardinal pass and converted a fast-break lay-up.

"I liked our guard play tonight," VanDerveer said. "Credit Colorado, they were down 20 (points) and really made a strong run back. We turned it over a couple of times during that (stretch). They (Colorado) are a very, very capable team. They just got super aggressive in the second half and we have to take better care of the ball."

With the score 55-46 in favor of Stanford, Kokenis hit a 3-pointer for the Cardinal and was fouled with 6:18 to play. Kokenis missed the free throw but Ogwumike grabbed the rebound and scored. The five-point play for Stanford was the key sequence late in the game and gave the Cardinal a 60-46 lead.

"That (five-point play) was huge for us," VanDerveer said.

Colorado freshman forward Arielle Roberson, who averages 13.2 points per game, was held to two points.

"She (Robertson) could never get going, she didn't take very good shots," Lappe said. "You have to credit Stanford's defense, they really keyed on her."

Colorado committed 18 turnovers to 13 for Stanford. The Buffaloes won the battle of the boards, 39-33.

The Cardinal swept the two-game season series with the Buffaloes. Stanford won the first meeting 57-40 at Boulder on January 4th.